Cotton-picker.



PATENTED SEPT. 27; 1904.

0. B. SHREEVES.

COTTON PICKER.

APPLICATION IIL-EI) MAY 16. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

NO MODEL.

PATENTED SEPT. 2'7, 1904.

' 0. B. SHREEVBS. COTTON PIGKER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lnlllnlnnnhnllu N0 MODEL.

PATENTED SEPT, 2'7, 1904.

C. B. SHREEVES. COTTON PIGKER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16. 1904.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3,

NO MODEL.

UN TED STATES Patented September 27', 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

COTTON-PICKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,934, datedSeptember 27, 1904. I Application filed May 16, 1904. Serial No.208,285. (No model.) I

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. SHREEVES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Denison, in the county. of Grayson and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Pickers, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cotton-pickers, and is intendedto be attached to the side or sides of an ordinary farm-wagon and saidwagon to be driven over the field of cotton.

I have illustrated the mechanism as applied to only one side of thewagon; but it will be readily understood that two mechanisms may beapplied. i

, The invention consists in certain novelties of construction andcombinations of parts, as herein specified, moreparticularly pointed outin the claims,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein-Figure 1 is a side view of so much of awagon as is necessary to explainmy invention with myimproved mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a planview of the mechanism, showing part of the wagon; and Fig. 3 is an endView of the complete machine.

The cotton-picking mechanism is attached to V the wagon 1 by supports 22, which are hung or hooked over a suitable portion thereof. Saidsupports 2may be cast-iron pipes having inserted therein the smallerpipes 3 3, which telescope therewith and are susceptible of adjustmentto any required height within limits, thus adapting the picker for usewith different-sized wagons. The frame 4 4 is suitably connected to andcarried by said supports 2 3, and upon the frame the mechanical elementsof the picker are mounted. The supportingwheel 5 is journaled on shaft6, which shaft is carried by uprights or extensions 7 7 of the frame 4.Said shaft is adjustably journaled in boxes 8, which may be moved freelyup or down in said extensions 7 7, this adjustment providing foradaptation of the machine to suit different heights of growing cotton.

Located on the hind Wheel 9 of the wagon is the toothed wheel 10, overwhich passes the sprocket-chain 11, driving a smaller sprocketwheellocated on shaft 12 at the front of the machine. J ournaled on the nearside of said shaft 12 is the sprocket-wheel 13, over which passes-thechain 14, which in turn connects with wheel 15, located on the innerside of supporting-wheel 5. Thus said shaft 12 is driven at one end bythe wheel 9 and at its other end by wheel15. v

Located on shaft 12, which is located below frame 16 at the front of themachine, are the rollers 17 17, which may be constructed of lightgalvanized iron. A transverse roller 18, parallel with said rollers 1717, is suitably journaled in the frame and is connected to the tworollers 17 17 by a series of card-clothing bands 19, which pass overeach said rollers and are guided and prevented from running together byprojecting rings 20, disposed at intervals on'the rollers 17 17. Thecard of these clothing-bands should be of fine wire set quite closetogether. Apron 21 is hung partly under the bands 19 and is moved byrollers 22 23, located on shafts 24 25, respectively. Said shaft 24receives power from and is rotated by sprocket-wheel 26, which wheel isdriven by chain 14, passing over wheel 15. The apron 21 is provided withcoarse upright long cards 27, which pick or remove the cotton from thecard-clothing bands 19 and carry said cotton back to a suitable troughto be described.

The two conical-shaped rollers 28 29, located in the front of themachine, are preferably light galvanized iron rollers, and each isprovided with a circular disk, as 30 31. These rollers pass over thestalks of cotton and folding them over spread the branches from thecenter toward the sides. The dart-shaped spring 32 parts the centerbranches and prevents them from passing between the inner ends of theconical rollers. The frames 33 34 are pivoted loosely to cross-barorshaft 12 and are provided with vertical slots 35,through which pass therod 36of the frame of the machine. These slots allow the frames 33 34 tobe raised or lowered as the conical rollers rise or fall in passing overlarge branches or other obstacles.

The trough 37 extends from near the top of the floor of the wagon in aninclined direction from said wagon and projects across the picker at therear and under the end of the apron 21.

An endless conveyer 38, traveling over rollers 39 and 40, located onshafts 41 and 42, respectively, is driven by the sprocket-wheel 43,located on the supporting-wheel 5. Chain 44: passes over said wheel 43and also over wheel 45 at the rear of the machine. A gear-wheel 46,located on the same shaft with the sprocketwheel 45, meshes withgear-wheel 47, located on shaft 42, and thus said conveyer is driventhrough the rotation of wheel 5, sprocketwheel 43, chain 44,sprocket-wheel 45, gearwheel &6, gear-wheel 4:7, and roller LO.

In operation as the wagon is moved along the conical rollers at thefront of the machine are revolved as they pass over the stalks ofcotton, folding them down and over and spreading the branches from thecenter toward the sides. The dart-sh aped spring spreads the centerbranches and prevents them passing between the inner ends of the conicalrollers. As the machine is moved forward the rolls 17 are revolved,bringing the card-clothing bands in contact with the open cotton. Saidbands card the cotton from the bolls and carry said cotton back over theends of the apron, where the cotton is again removed from the cardbandsby the coarse cards on the said apron and carried back over the rear endof the apron, where the cotton is scraped off them by the coarse cardingscraping on the side of the trough, where it falls on the conveyertraveling through said trough and is carried up the inclined portion ofthe trough and deposited in the wagon.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination witha wagon, of a cotton-picking machine providedwith suitable framework, hooked members detachably connected to saidwagon, and integral extensions on said framework, adapted to telescopewith said hooked members and adjustable therein.

2. The combination with a wagon, of a cotton-picking machine located atone side thereof and provided with a supporting-wheel journaled insuitable frames, vertical arms projecting upward from said frame andarms adjustably connected to said vertical arms adapted to be detachablyconnected to the wagon.

3. The combination with a wagon, of a cotton-picking machine adjustablyconnected thereto, supporting means for said machine, an adjustableframe at the front of the machine with means for folding and spreadingthe cotton-stalks, means for carding said cotton at the rear of saidframe, a continuously-moving apron adapted to receive the cotton fromthe carding means, and a conveyer adapted to receive the cotton from theapron and deposit said cotton in the wagon.

4:. The combination with a vehicle of a cotton picking machineadjustably connected thereto by its frame, a supporting-wheel journaledin said frame, sprocket-wheels on said supporting-wheel and on one wheelof the vehicle, a shaft having rolls thereon provided with gear-wheelsdriven by chains from said sprocket-wheels, asecond shaft carrying aroll and suitably supported, card-clothing bands extending over saidrolls, an endless traveling apron disposed to receive the cotton fromsaid bands, and a conveyor at the rear of the machine suitably operatedto deposit the cotton in the vehicle.

5. A cotton-picking machine suitably supported, an adjustable frameconnected to the front of the machine provided with means for foldingand spreading the cotton-stalks, means for carding said cotton, anendless apron suitably driven for receiving the cotton from said cardingmeans, and a conveyer adapted to receive the cotton from said apron anddeposit it in a suitable receptacle.

6. The combination with a vehicle of a cotton-picking machine attachedto and supported thereby, a wheel journaled in the frame of the machinefor additional support, an adjustable frame provided with rollers forfolding and spreading the cotton-stalks at the front of the machine,twoshafts having rollers thereon connected by card-clothing bands andsuitably driven, a second pair of shafts provided with rollers andhaving an endless apron traveling on said rollers, and a conveyer-beltsuitably driven and extending from the machine into the vehicle fordepositing the cotton in said vehicle as it is received from said apron.

7. A vehicle, a cotton-picking machine attached thereto, asupporting-wheel for said machine, an adjustable frame having slottedmem bers and guides in said slots for vertical movement of said frame,rollers at the front of the frame for folding and spreading thecottonstalks, and a separating-spring located between said rollers, twoshafts having rollers thereon connected by card-clothing bands, saidshafts driven by sprocket-wheels and chains located on thesupporting-wheel and one wheel of said vehicle, and means for receivingthe cotton from said card-clothing bands and depositing it in saidvehicle all combined.

8. A vehicle, a cotton-picking machine attached thereto, asupporting-Wheel therefor, an adjustable frame provided with slottedmembers and guides in said slots for vertical movement of said frame,rollers at the front of the frame for spreading and folding thecotton-stalks, a separating-spring located be tween said rollers, twoshafts having rollers thereon overwhich travel a series of endlesscard-clothing bands and driven from said supporting-wheel and a wheel ofthe vehicle, a second pair of shafts having rollers over which travelsan endless apron provided with pickerfingers adapted to receive thecotton from said bands, and means for conveying the cot- ITO all

ton from said apron to the vehicle all combined.

9; A vehicle, a cotton-picking machine attached thereto, asupporting-wheel therefor, an adjustable frame provided with slottedmembers and guides in said slots for vertical movement of said frame,rollers at the front of the frame for spreading and folding thecotton-stalks, a projecting arm located between said rollers; two shaftshaving rollers thereon over which travel a series of endlesscard-clothing bands and driven from said supporting-wheel and a wheel ofthe vehicle, a second pair of shafts having rollers over which travelsan endless apron provided with pickerfingers adapted to receive thecotton from said bands, a trough under the rear of said apron and anendless conveyer traveling over rollers, one located in the vehicle andone in the framework and suitably driven, for depositing the cotton fromsaid apron into the vehicle. i

10. A vehicle, a cotton-picking machine attached thereto, asupporting-wheel therefor, an adjustable frame provided with slottedmembers and guides in said frame for vertical movement of said frame,conical rollers at the front of the frame, a separating-springprojecting from between said rollers, a pair of vwheel of said vehicleand chains from said sprocket-wheels driving wheels located on saidshaft; a second pair of shafts having rollers over which travels anendless apron provided with pickers, a trough under the rear of saidapron and extending into said vehicle, an endless conveyer traveling insaid trough; a shaft having a sprocket-wheel and a mitergear thereon anda sprocket-wheel on said supporting-wheel having a sprocket-chainadapted to drive said sprocket-wheel and miter-gear and a secondmiter-gear on one of the shafts of said conveyer driven by saidfirst-mentioned miter-gear, all combined substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES B. SHREEVES. Witnesses:

C. J. OMALEY, W. A. STAUFFACHER.

